SME News Q3 2026/ 16 Penny started out as a school leaver working at a major bank, after which she became a holiday relief pub manager for a main brewery. From there, she joined a purchasing team, moved into sales, and followed that with project planning, all before deciding to start a family. Penny then joined Atlantic Refrigeration in 2005, and she hasn’t looked back. After raising her children, she decided to work full time at the company, improving and streamlining internal processes and becoming increasingly involved with the accounts. Not satisfied with the level of profit the company was earning, she started to question where improvements could be made and setting targets to do better. By 2012, the last of the original founders of Atlantic Refrigeration had retired, and Penny became a director and shareholder, having been instrumental in arranging the share buy-out process. In 2017, she managed the sale of the company’s old premises and the entire business relocation to a newly built premises, with a bespoke fitout designed around its modern, future-proofing needs. It was in 2024, on her 54th birthday, that Penny signed the paperwork to buy out the last shareholder and she became the sole female owner of the business. Since then, she has invested in two additional commercial premises, one for the business’ own use and one rented to a tenant. She has also appointed another female director; but not because she is female, rather because she is considered the right person for the job. Today, Penny leads Atlantic Refrigeration in serving its highly valued clientele, which includes major cruise lines such as Carnival UK Ltd, Cunard, Princess Cruises, and SAGA Cruises; as well as local ferry operators like Red Funnel Ferries, Condor Ferries, and DFDS. It is also very proud to serve RNLI Lifeboats and a variety of workboats including tugs and dredgers. Being based between the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth and close to Poole enables the company to maintain its strong marine presence, sometimes delivering to or attending vessels on cruise turnaround days. In terms of its land work, Atlantic Refrigeration is proud and excited to partner with Arlington Fleet Group, assisting with the installation of air conditioning on renovated British Pullman carriages, alongside providing HVAC+R services to other commercial and industrial customers. Atlantic Refrigeration’s service delivery is nothing short of exceptional – and at the heart of it is a team ethos, with Penny saying, “We are a family and we support one another. It is a team first and foremost. Staff welfare, wellbeing, and safety are paramount and a priority in all we do. No one would be asked to do something I wasn’t prepared to do myself, and the team know they have my full support and the support of their colleagues at all times. Everyone has their area of responsibility, but we work together overall with common goals that we determine as a team and everyone commits to achieving.” Since 1984, Atlantic Refrigeration has been serving customers in the marine, industrial, and commercial sectors with spare parts supply, dry/wet dock projects, vessel sailing works, equipment rental, installation, service and repair, and compliance-led planned maintenance services. Penny Moore joined the company 21 years ago, starting out by doing the filing and other admin work part time while her children were at school. Soon enough, she was taking on more responsibility, and became an integral part of the team. We spoke to Penny to learn more about the company and her brilliant career. Most Outstanding Refrigeration Industry MD 2026: Penny Moore & FemaleOwned Business of the Year 2026 Atlantic Refrigeration Ltd
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUyMDQwMA==